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Training Tips- Pedals 2 Medals

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Here is the Pedals 2 Medals weekly tip.
This week it goes over checking your training routine when you do not feel any benefits from all the hard work you have been putting in, I remember training and not really feeling any quicker on the bike and it is pretty annoying, so if you read this article from Mike Day he tells you about a few tests you can do to track your progress.

Measure Your Progress (But Not Too Much)

By Mike Day

Do you ever spend months training and actually feel slower? Yes, it takes time for your body to figure out the new load you’re putting on it, but it’s frustrating to put your heart and soul into training and have it feel like your’re going in the wrong direction. That has happened to me a few times, and I would start to question if I was doing the right thing. The choice: change things up or wait for the results to start showing up in what I was already doing.

When you start questioning your training or get frustrated by lack of results, it’s not going to work. You have to believe 100% that what you’re doing is going to work, and you have to come at it every day with that mentality. After the second-guessing and the frustration, I started doing tests on myself to take the guessing out of the equation and get more focused on the races. The best part: if I did a big training block where I didn’t see improvement I could then change my plan up and retest. So for this week’s #WinningWednesdays tip, I’m going to give you two solid tests that will ensure you’re doing the right training and making informed decisions if/when it comes time to make a change.
•90-foot flat sprint using timers. Come into this sprint session fresh and set up with a clear start and finish. Remember, a few weeks ago we talked about box sprints. I always tested using that sprint. Set the timers up and do your regular sprint session using your best time as your benchmark. Doing the flat 90ft sprint is best to improve your acceleration from the gate to the first jump which is the most important section of the track. I would recommend testing this every six weeks to make sure you’re progressing. If you see your times plateau or start getting slower after two of those test cycles, make some tweaks to your training program.

•Full laps using timers. These hurt, but are a very effective test to see how your fitness is coming along. Set up your timers at your local track, using the gate falling to start the timer and you crossing the line to stop it. With all the work you’re doing on technique and first straights during practice, your times should improve. The more you do full laps during practice, the better your times will be and should be a huge part of your training. If you’re not doing these, try putting them in and see how much better you feel come race day. As with the 90-foot sprint, test these every six weeks, but I recommend doing the full laps regularly as a part of training (as opposed to only doing them when testing).
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There is no better feeling than to see your training working! These quick tests will make a world of difference. Even if you aren’t seeing improvement at a few points during the year, these tests are a constant in your program, and will allow you to have a permanent benchmark to compare your progress against. The “guessing and hoping” aspect of your training will be over.

A couple reminders, don’t test and expect to see results every week. Train hard every week, but keep the benchmark testing to once every six weeks. Seeing improvement takes time–stick to it! Lastly, like I always say: have fun with it and enjoy the process!

We’ve been getting a bunch of videos submitted through our new video critique on Pedals2medals.com. If there is something you’d like Donny or myself to take a look at, check it out!
Check out the website here-http://pedals2medals.com/

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